


Short Tempered

by DoveFanworks



Series: Borrower!Prom [7]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Borrower!AU, Gen, almost, almost all fluff!, borrower!Prom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-09
Updated: 2020-01-09
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:54:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22186684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DoveFanworks/pseuds/DoveFanworks
Summary: Prompto woke feeling more rested than he had in weeks to a knocking at the door and a dull ache behind his eyes that made him groan, burying his face in the softness of his blanket.The knocking came again and something gave a much bigger groan behind him.
Relationships: Gladiolus Amicitia & Prompto Argentum, Prompto Argentum & Ignis Scientia, Prompto Argentum & Noctis Lucis Caelum
Series: Borrower!Prom [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1413532
Comments: 82
Kudos: 267
Collections: FFXV Pocket Edition





	Short Tempered

**Author's Note:**

> Hhhhhh I'm sorry this part took so long, the word count once again got ridiculous and I'm not entirely happy with it but at least it's finally up!!!

Prompto woke feeling more rested than he had in weeks to a knocking at the door and a dull ache behind his eyes that made him groan, burying his face in the softness of his blanket.

The knocking came again and something gave a much bigger groan behind him.

Prompto’s eyes snapped open and he scrambled to sit up, whipping around to face the giant bedroom doors. He glanced down to find Noctis still fast asleep, curled away from him under the covers so the only part of him visible was a messy mop of black hair.

The next round of knocks was sharper, more pointed, and Prompto was already scrambling to grab his things, darting for the first cover he could find, just in time for the loud click of the handle to echo through the vast room. Unfortunately, that was beneath the heavy covers of the bed.

“Time to get up Noct,” Ignis’ achingly familiar voice called, making him shiver and crawl awkwardly further beneath the blankets, his pin and hook catching on the fabric. Noctis barely stirred more than to shift slightly, snuggling further into the cushy blankets. Prompto already had a sinking feeling in his gut. Still, with no other options, he wriggled his way to where he could feel the warmth from Noct’s body radiating through the sheets, relieved when he pulled himself out into the hollow where the blankets tented over his giant body. 

“You have a training session with Gladio at ten thirty, and I’d suggest you don’t be late for it, he hardly seemed in a pleasant mood last I saw him.”

Prompto winced, clearly Noct’s furious outburst hadn’t been forgiven yet, not that Noctis himself would have done anything to make peace, he had spent the entire evening with him. He couldn’t help a pang of guilt at that, he may have found Gladio absolutely fucking terrifying, but that didn’t mean he wanted to sour the relationship between them.

Shaking himself, he refocused on the problem at hand, he still had to not get caught here. Darting closer, he found his gaze drawn to where Noct’s sleep shirt had rucked up in the night, revealing a sliver of what looked like a pale, gnarled scar. He stilled a moment, lips parting slightly. That looked… surprisingly nasty.

The sound of sharp footsteps moving further into the room made him jerk, eyes tearing away, and he scrambled the last of the way to push against Noct’s spine, dropping his jacket and tools on the sheets along the way.

“Noct?” He called as loud as he dared, which was to say, not very.

‘Please don’t roll over,’ Prompto thought desperately, smacking frantically at the slumbering human’s back.  _ Oh gods please don’t roll over _ . 

Noctis grunted, curling up even tighter. 

“Noct,” he hissed, flinching at the sound of large steps moving around the bed, “c’mon, wake up.”

He scrambled as close to the edge of the blankets as he dared, praying that being closer to his head would make him easier to hear.

“Noct!” He whispered, slamming his arm against an unyielding shoulder blade. Noct made a louder, decidedly startled noise, uncurling into a lazy stretch. Prompto barely bit back a yell when he was shoved right off his feet.

“Oh my gods, come on,” he groaned, kicking hard at his back again. A soft hum from behind him made him freeze.

“It’s unlike you to sleep with the curtains open Noct,” Ignis mused. Noctis grumbled something that was utterly incomprehensible, and began to curl up again.

“Don’t you fucking dare,” Prompto hissed to himself, scrambling up and throwing himself against him with all his strength, “don’t you damn well make me stab you too.”

Somewhere nearby, Ignis sighed.

“Don’t make me pull the covers off the bed again, highness.”

Prompto remained frozen for a good few seconds, before he scrambled for his pin, groping around in the dim light until he found it next to his jacket.

“Sorry to do this,” he muttered, scampering back to press himself against the human’s warm shirt, “but y’know, not really.”

With that he jabbed the end of the pin right through the fabric and into the skin below. The result was instantaneous. Noctis jerked like he had been, well, stabbed, his back arching and a sharp cry leaving his lips.

“Noct? What’s wrong?” Ignis called urgently, at the exact same moment Prompto found himself firmly pinned against the human’s back by a large hand. He barely bit down a shriek, he wasn’t being crushed at all, to his relief, but the surprise of it had his heart hammering in his chest. Noctis tensed, on either side of him, and the hand at his back instantly loosened.

“Uh, nothing,” Noct said quickly, voice still thick with sleep, but with an alertness in him that had Prompto breathing a sigh of relief that wasn’t all to do with the realisation that he wasn’t about to be accidentally crushed, “my back just cracked.”

Ignis gave a worried hum. “Is it troubling you again?”

“No,” Noctis said quickly, defensively, “it’s fine.”

Ignis sighed, a tightness in his next words that had Prompto tensing, a feeling of deja vu prickling at the back of his mind.

“I cannot help if you do not tell me when something is wrong Noct.”

“It just hurts sometimes when I wake up, it’ll go away on its own.”

“I can fetch some painkillers? Or perhaps some-”

“I’m fine Ignis,” Noctis grit out, curling his hand into a cup beside him and Prompto got the message loud and clear, scurrying into it as Noct carefully began to shift. He twisted from his side on to his stomach, quietly moving the hand holding him so it draped off the edge of the bed, out from under the covers and down to the floor. Prompto immediately spotted the dark, polished shoes of the other human beneath the bed, stood at the opposite side as Noctis hissed something he couldn’t quite make out, keeping him distracted. He breathed out a tiny thank you and dropped the last of the way to the ground, darting towards the middle and pressing against the wall at the headboard so he was thoroughly out of sight and out of reach, only to mentally slap himself when he realised-

He had left his pin, hook and jacket behind.

_ Stupid _ . Gods he hoped Ignis wasn’t still planning on ripping the blankets off the bed, whatever that was for, he still really didn’t understand a lot of what humans did. An insistent waving movement back on Noct’s side of the bed had him glancing over, only to find that he had clearly realised the same thing, pinched between his fingers was his abandoned gear. 

A soft breath of relief left him as he scrambled silently back over to take them, tapping Noct’s pointer finger twice in thanks, before returning to his hiding spot. He hurriedly got himself sorted as the bean’s rumbled above him, pulling his jacket back on, spearing his pin through one of the folds and finally reattaching his grappling hook to his belt. It set apart of him at ease, having all of his prize tools back on him, even if it wasn’t much use against a giant human. Still, he was far happier that there wasn’t any evidence left behind of him now, yet another close call. It was amazing how quickly he was growing accustomed to them, and foolish.

“Noct, may I ask why there’s an old rag on your pillow?”

“Uh,” Noctis said intelligently and Prompto felt himself freeze. Ok, so a bandana lying around wasn’t exactly strange for a human right? Especially one as, uh, let’s say negligent, as Noct often was of his environments. But what really set every hair on the back of his neck on end was that it was Ignis.

A couple of years living under Noct’s roof had taught him many things, but one of the things he had learned very, very quickly was to never take chances with Ignis.

He was far too clever for a human. Not to say that humans in general weren’t smart, that was kind of the biggest problem of living alongside them, evading them wasn’t like evading a simple predator. They could think, plan, problem solve, set traps. A million things could go wrong living with humans.

And at least with a predator you knew what would happen to you. You got killed and eaten, hopefully quickly and in that order. Simple. But with a human? No one knew. His parents hadn’t been able to tell him, not properly in any case. His father had once told him they killed borrowers and put their bodies on display in special rooms, but even then he could tell he had just been trying to scare him. The truth was they hadn’t known. No borrowers found by humans were ever heard from again.

Which led him back to Ignis. Ignis was too clever. Too observant. A borrower’s worst nightmare.

While Prompto might have risked occasionally sneaking out if he really needed something when Noct was snoring on the couch, he never dared even think of trying something so bold when Ignis was over. Hell when it was even close to the times Ignis would usually turn up.

He had honestly thought, if anyone was going to catch him one day, it would have been Ignis. Instead it had been a damn camera… set up by Ignis.  _ Fuck _ .

Anyway.  _ Ignis was too damn clever _ . 

And that was why hearing him notice the abandoned bandana sent a thrill of fear through him. Because he knew that, no matter what kind of excuse Noctis came up with, Ignis was going to remember this tiny little detail. 

And it would only take a couple more fumbles for him to begin to put together that something wasn’t quite right. That perhaps his precious Prince had a little  _ stowaway _ . 

He shuddered at the thought. Gods but it would be a shame to end this whole venture getting caught all over again.

“It’s just an old bandana I found somewhere, forgot to chuck it back I guess,” Noctis mumbled finally. Ignis hummed, and it was probably the most damn suspicious sound he had ever heard in his life.

“Would you like me to throw it out then?”

“What? No.”

The silence that followed spoke volumes, and Prompto could only worry his lip and wait, silently begging Noct to just let him take it. Sure it would have been a shame to lose the gift, it would be upsetting, but he’d ultimately take that over mounting the suspicion that was so clearly already beginning to fester. 

“It’s a, uh, collector’s item,” Noct caught himself, Prompto wasn’t exactly sure what that meant, but it must have soothed Ignis in some way.

“Ah, I see, well then please put it away, before you forget again,” Ignis said smoothly, his pristine shoes at last turning and making their way around the bed with sharp, measured steps. Prompto’s eyes followed him the whole way around, and on back towards the bedroom doors. 

“I believe you requested pancakes for breakfast, the cooks should send some up shortly, I’m afraid I’m too busy this morning to make some myself,” Ignis rattled off, and from this angle Prompto could see he was holding a stack of papers and files, as well as what looked like a laptop of some kind, “please do not be late for you training session, Noct, and I’d prepare for a long lesson as well.”

Noctis groaned above him, the bed springs creaking as he apparently flopped back down onto the mattress. 

“Yes yes groan all you like, I will be in my office most of the day if you have need of me.”

And with that, Ignis swept back out through the doors, pulling them closed again with a final thud before the dull clack of his shoes disappeared down whatever giant depths lay beyond them. Silence swamped the room for what felt like a small eternity, before the bed squeaked and shook over him again and a familiar mop of frazzled, raven hair hung down from above.

“That was close,” Noctis offered, shooting him an upside down but no less sheepish smile. Prompto grimaced back.

“So, y’know last night when you said if I needed anything to just wake you up?”

“Uh-”

“Yeah you think you could have warned me that that’s an impossible task?”

“Sorry,” Noct said weakly, “would pancakes make it better?”

“I don’t know,” Prompto said flatly, “would they?”

Pancakes do ultimately make things better, he decides. 

“Ok, you beans might be big, and impossible to wake up, but damn if you don’t know what you’re doing with food,” Prompto mumbled, licking syrup from his fingers. Noctis snorted, not noticing the powdered sugar on the end of his nose.

“We need to get you like, a tiny cutlery set or something.”

“I already have one,” Prompto replied, tearing off another chunk of fluffy pancake, “it’s back with the rest of my stuff at the apartment, I didn’t really have time to grab any essentials.”

“Huh,” Noct said, curiosity clear in his eyes, “what else do you have? In terms of like, tiny stuff like ours I mean? Do you have tiny pots and pans? Where would you even get things like that?”

“Ok, first off, you don’t have to add ‘tiny’ to everything,” Prompto said, dunking his next mouthful in a frankly disgusting amount of maple syrup, like a he-could-comfortably-take-a-bath-in-it amount, “I get it, I’m small, but it’s not tiny to us, it’s just stuff, y’know? You want me to start adding ‘giant’ to everything you use?”

“Point,” Noct conceded.

“And yes, to the pan thing, but I haven’t really used mine in a while, I don’t cook that much anyway, plus my lighter ran out of juice months ago so I can’t now even if I wanted to, and none of you smoke so I haven’t really been able to borrow another one.”

He explained it all quickly, kind of relieved to get the small gripe off his chest, it had been a little irritating not being able to reheat things for so long after all. When no reply came for a few long, dragging moments, he blinked from where he had been watching buttery foam swirling in the syrup to glance back up, finding Noctis staring at him in utter astonishment.

“What?” He said, suddenly nervous.  _ Had he said something wrong?  _

“You cook… over a cigarette lighter?” He repeated slowly.

“What? No, that’s like, super unsafe, if I have to cook I cook over a candle, the lighter’s just to make the fire, but like I said mine ran out of juice so-“

“You cook over a candle?” Noctis said, just as dubiously.

Prompto nodded hesitantly. “Uh, yeah? I mean, it’s not like I can cook over that thing you and Spe- Ignis use, why? Is that bad?”

“What? Are you kidding me?” Noctis said, his bewilderment vanishing and replacing with something he could only describe as giddiness, “that’s amazing! What else do you guys have?”

Prompto blinked in bemusement, but the childish glee in Noct’s smile was infectious and he found himself smiling back at him. What could he say? There was something charming about seeing a person so big get so innocently excited about such a mundane thing. But then, he supposed he had been the exact same with the TV, and hot food, hadn’t he?

“Uhhh, well, you’ve seen my grappling gear already-”

“Yeah, you used one of my fishhooks for it didn’t you?” Noctis said.

“Fishhook?” Prompto repeated, pulling the item in question from his belt, “I found it under your bed back at the apartment, I kinda just thought it was a really bent paperclip.”

“Yeah that’s one of my hooks alright,” Noctis said, “must of dropped it last time I came back from fishing.”

“Fishing?” Prompto said, stopping halfway to hooking it back to his belt, “I can, um, I can give it back if it’s important to you?”

“Oh what? Nah dude it’s all yours,” Noct said easily, waving him off lightly, “I’ve got a million of them, so uh, if you ever need another one, just let me know.”

“Really? Thank you!” Prompto gushed, a huge grin spreading over his face, “you have no idea how hard it is to find things to make good grappling hooks, I was so excited when I found this one, didn’t have to rework it or anything.”

“Rework it?”

Prompto nodded, resettling his hook on his belt once again. “Yeah, usually nothing’s ever completely perfect, most of the time we have to alter things, y’know, heat it, bend it, that sort of thing, it’s not like these things were made for us after all.”

“Right,” Noctis said slowly.

“But this, uh, fishhook you said it was called? It’s pretty much perfect for grappling gear, sturdier than a paperclip too, uh, what is this even for anyway? That fishing thing?”

“Yeah,” Noctis said, suddenly looking far more eager, “it’s a hobby of mine, though I don’t really get much time to do it these days, I use hooks like that to catch fish.”

“Fish?” Prompto squawked, “but why? And how?”

Noctis shrugged. “Cause they taste good? And you put bait on the hook, then cast it on a line into the water, fish come to eat the bait and get caught on the hook, then you just reel them in.”

“But that’s so grisly!” 

“What? Like you don’t eat meat?”

“I eat meat,” Prompto huffed, “but it’s not like I’m the one that kills the animals it comes from, you know the only things I’d even physically be able to kill would be bugs and I’m not gonna eat any of those.”

Noct’s nose wrinkled. “Yeah, ew.”

“I get the whole catching fish for food thing, but do you have to do it in such a horrible way?”

“That’s kind of the whole point of fishing,” Noctis said, finally noting the sugar on the end of his nose and wiping it off on his shirt sleeve, the powder stark against the dark fabric, “you can use nets as well, but they’re nowhere near as effective, I mostly use lures anyway.”

“Lures?”

“They’re like, hooks that are already made to look like bait.”

“Ugh still, the whole hooking them thing is-” Prompto shuddered, running his tongue over the roof of his mouth like he could feel the ghost of one tickling it.

“What you want me to just swim out and grab one instead?”

“Oh, now that’d be funny, yeah try that next time.”

Noctis rolled his eyes. “That’d mean you’d have to come with me fishing sometime then.”

“How far away is it? To go fishing?” Prompto said dubiously, cocking an eyebrow.

“There’s places within the city, but the best ones are beyond the wall.”

“Beyond the wall?” Prompto said faintly, before realization hit and he jolted, “you mean, there’s other things beyond the city?”

“Of course,” Noct said, his brow furrowed, “you don’t… know what’s outside of Insomnia?”

“How could I? I’ve lived here my whole life, and long distance travelling isn’t exactly something borrowers do for fun...”

“Alright, I have got to take you to see some of the sights now,” Noctis said, looking determined and stubborn in equal measure, “and take you fishing of course.”

“Mmm, I dunno,” Prompto said, even as his heart lurched with excitement at the idea, “you’re not gonna use me as live bait, are you?”

“What?!” Noct yelped, “no, gods no, I’d never do something like that to yo-”

Prompto snickered. 

“Ugh, you little-”

“That is honestly a relief though, I can’t imagine much worse honestly, being out in open water like that?,” Prompto mused, repressing a shudder, “That’s how my great grandfather went apparently, tried to swim across a pond and a fish swallowed him whole, or so the story goes anyway.”

The look of utter, nauseated horror that overcame Noct’s face made him immediately regret saying that so nonchalantly.

“I-I mean that was ages and ages ago!” He stammered, “a-and it might not even be true, my parents might have just been trying to scare me out of ever trying that.”

“That’s awful,” Noctis said faintly.

Prompto shrugged helplessly. That was just life, at least for a borrower.

“There’s a reason we’re so wary of everything, there’s not much that can’t kill us...”

Noctis fell silent for a long moment, dark eyes going sullen, and Prompto worried he had killed the pleasant mood entirely. 

“Well,” Noct said softly, hesitantly, “you don’t have to worry so much while you’re here, I’ll protect you.” 

Prompto blinked, feeling his cheeks heat with a blush.

“That’s really kind Noct, and it means a lot but… you can’t watch out for everything in the world.”

“Watch me,” Noctis shot back, one eyebrow arching challengingly.

Prompto shrugged, a persistently flattered little smile pulling up his lips. “Guess I’ll just have to take your word for it then.”

“Sure will,” Noct agreed with a grin.

“My hero,” Prompto cooed, faking a small swoon, snickering when Noctis rolled his eyes pointedly. Finally, however, Noctis reached to check his phone, grimacing at the time.

“Ugh, I’m not gonna get out of this training session,” Noctis grumbled, his gaze turning decidedly nervous when he returned it to his, “I’m, uh, I’m gonna have to leave you alone here for a little bit, are you gonna be alright?”

Prompto snorted, rolling his eyes.

“Oh whatever did I do without you?”

“Jerk.”

Prompto stuck his tongue out at him.

Noctis got dressed and ready to leave with surprising speed from there, almost a complete departure from his usual, lethargic self. He supposed he wouldn’t want to piss off Gladio either, even more than he already was anyway. 

“Alright Prom,” Noctis called finally, both sounding and looking less than enthused when he emerged from the bathroom, “I gotta go, but I’ll be back in about an hour or so, I’ve uh, put a bowl of water on the windowsill, behind the curtain, along with your bandana in case you wanted to sit at the window again.”

Prompto blinked, wondering how he had missed all of that. His chest fluttered at the thoughtfulness behind it, Noct clearly didn’t want to leave him stranded with nothing this time around. He was definitely grateful for the water, after glimpsing the bathroom vanity and immediately realising his grappling gear wouldn’t even come close to reaching its height to get to the sink, he had been idly worrying how he would get to water if he needed it.

“Thank you.”

Noctis nodded, worrying his lip anxiously a moment. “Listen, a maid will probably be along soon to take away the breakfast dishes, I can lock the doors if you want and they’ll probably take the hint and leave it for later. But- but it would kind of look a little strange, like I said I can do it! It’s just- It’s up to you, if you’re still scared…” 

“I’m ok,” Prompto found himself blurting, swallowing tightly in the quiet that followed, “I mean, I think I am? I’ll expect it this time, last time I wasn’t sure how long you’d be away, was stuck up on a desk with nowhere to go and thought it was you when the door opened, I was careless.”

“No, it was my fault,” Noct cut in, “I shouldn’t have left you stranded up there, even if I didn’t think it would take that long, and I’m sorry.”

“It’s ok,” Prompto said, glancing down shyly and mumbling, “we’re both new to this.”

“Yeah,” Noctis agreed after a long moment, voice soft, “yeah we are, huh?”

Prompto cleared his throat. “Anyway, I don’t mind you leaving the doors unlocked as long as I can hide, and this… maid? Doesn’t go snooping around the place like Gladio did.”

“Nah, they won’t, they’ll come in, take the dishes and leave,” Noctis said, shrugging on a dark hoodie and shifting to zip up the small duffel bag he had tossed on the bed. Prompto shifted to lean back on his arms, resisting the urge to just flop on the blankets of the bed Noct had replaced him on while he got ready.

“Then- then it should be fine, I’ll be ready for it this time, besides, I don’t really want to draw attention here, if that’s what locking the doors will do?”

“It’s just not really something I need to do here, I never did when I used to live here, and same I don’t really want to stir anymore suspicion while we’re here, especially if you still don’t want to be found out by anyone else.”

Prompto idly bit down a retort on how he thought it was probably a little too late for that, at least in Ignis’ case, but he didn’t find himself completely balking this time. Maybe… maybe one day he could- It was a stupid thought, yet a part of him kind of wanted to apologize to Ignis for yelling at him so rudely, and if Noctis was there to protect him from any errant hands… perhaps one day.

“Ok,” Noctis said through a sigh, hefting the bag off the bed, “I have to go now so if you’re sure you’re ok? Where do you want me to put you?”

“I’ll be fine,” Prompto said with a nod, quickly taking stock of his tools, finding everything exactly where it was meant to be, “and here is fine, I can get down pretty easily.”

“Really?” Noctis said, tilting his head curiously, “you think I could, uh, you think you could show me sometime?”

Prompto blinked in bemusement. “Uh, sure? It’s not that exciting though, dude.”

“It’s cool, I can’t believe how much you get around at that size, but anyway, I’ll be back as soon as I can alright? Try and stay out of sight… please.”

Prompto stretched, wincing when his muscles pulled more than was usual, but hey, yesterday had been damn stressful. 

“You don’t gotta tell me twice, I sure as hell don’t want anymore close calls.”

Noctis lingered a moment, looking like he wanted to say something more, before simply nodding. “Fair, alright just- just be careful bud, I’ll see you later.”

“See you,” Prompto echoed, watching until the doors closed again, sitting a few minutes longer before pushing himself to his feet, unsteady on the plush blankets, and deciding to start with exploring the bathroom.

  
  


~~~~~~~~~~

  
  


“Prom?”

Prompto grunted, waking far faster than last time, to his relief, his head jerking up as he blinked blearily in the direction the voice was coming from, finding it far harder than usual when his head immediately spun from the surge of light.

“Sorry,” Noctis whispered, the giant blur of dark hair and pale skin slowly swimming into focus as the human’s face, clearly knelt down beside his little den, his head almost level with him, “didn’t mean to scare you, I just got back.”

“Noct?” Prompto slurred, still struggling to catch up. He didn’t feel scared though, he was with it enough to realise that.

“Yeah bud, it’s just me,” Noctis said softly, “sorry I woke you, kind of assumed you were just dozing.”

Prompto pushed himself up with a yawn, pulling into a long stretch as his brain finally began to switch back on.

In the end, the time left to his own devices had passed unremarkably. His worry for this ‘maid’ bean was proven to be completely worthless. He had heard the bedroom doors open after he had managed to squirm his way inside the bathroom vanity cabinet, only pausing long enough to hear the muffled tap of hard shoes on the marble floor, the rattle of ceramic dishes, and just as quickly, the low ‘clunk’ of the door closing again. 

The lack of excitement was a relief, the monotony of his usual borrower activities almost a balm after the last couple of days but, unfortunately, deodorant and body lotion were only interesting for so long, and he had slipped back out not long after the maid had left. 

With nothing else of interest to him in the bathroom, and not much else to do regardless, he had ended up hauling himself back up to his little spot on the windowsill, gulping down handfuls of the water left out for him when he had broken into a surprisingly harsh coughing fit at the top. Obviously all this spoiling was getting him out of shape, even if he realistically knew one day of luxury wasn’t about to upend years of hard earned skill and instinct. He hadn’t dwelled on it long in any case, his carefully folded bandana had sucked up the sun’s heat and, like a siren song, it had worked its way into his muscles and down deep into his bones, settling as a thick sluggishness in the back of his skull. And he had been more than happy to let it take him.

Only to find himself abruptly prodded awake by-

“‘S alright,” Prompto mumbled, slowly pushing himself up, wincing when the nausea morphed into a dull ache behind his eyes, thrumming there hotly, “how was the thing?”

Noctis grimaced.

“Rough,” he said, rolling his shoulders and grimacing as it apparently hurt. Prompto blinked, instantly finding himself wide awake when he spotted a dark pattern of bruises, scratches and scrapes marking the human’s once smooth skin. When his eyes fell further down, he could see the dark tank top Noct had stripped down to was rumpled, damp with sweat, stretched and even torn in a couple of places, like it had been grabbed and relentlessly yanked multiple times.

“Wait, what happened? Did he- Noct, did Gladio do this to you?”

“Huh wha- Oh uh, well, yeah kind of but it’s not what you think!”

The dismay must have shown on his face because Noctis hurriedly barreled right on. “It’s his job- ok that probably sounds worse but it’s- he’s supposed to train me to be able to fight, and to do that he kinda has to beat me up and stuff.”

“He… what? But- but why? He’s  _ hurt _ you Noct…”

Noctis sighed, scratching the back of his neck in obvious discomfort. “It’s a Prince thing,” he said, “I have to know how to defend myself, Gladio’s my sworn Shield, he basically- well he’s in charge of keeping me safe, but I have to know how to fight for myself too, so he trains me.”

“So he keeps you safe… by beating you up?”

“No- well, kind of? I guess?”

“And you humans wonder why we don’t come anywhere near you,” Prompto mumbled, shaking his head, “beating each other up for fun.”

“It’s not for fun, I can promise you that.”

“Then why? What do you need to defend yourself from?” Prompto said, waving his hands for emphasis, “you’re a giant human in a city filled with your own kind, what do you even have to be afraid of?”

Part of the question was genuine curiosity, the other was that ever present wariness telling him that if there was something out there that a human feared, then he should probably fear it too. Even more so probably.

“Most of the time threats come from other humans,” Noctis mumbled, “I mean, look at the bomb in the apartment, those people put that there to kill me, and they might have succeeded if it weren’t for you.”

Ah, the thing to fear was humans. Typical.

“But why?” Prompto repeated, somewhat desperately, “why would anyone want to kill you? What did you do?” 

Noctis sighed. “It’s to do with the whole Prince thing, just- try not to worry about it ok? The point is the bomb didn’t work, thanks to you, and we’re safe here, I promise.”

“I just don’t get it,” Prompto groaned, dragging a hand through his uncomfortably greasy hair. It was getting too long again, starting to get in his eyes, he’d have to cut it soon, or at least find something to tie it back. 

“Most of the time I don’t either bud,” Noct said, sounding exhausted.

“Can’t you just… stop being a Prince?” Prompto tried.

Noct laughed in a way he could only describe as bitter.

“No.”

“Oh,” Prompto said, and something about it all finally seemed to click into place, “so, it’s like something you’re born with then? I mean, yeah no duh you already said that but I mean like, in the same way that I’m a Borrower and you’re a human, and there’s nothing either of us can do that’ll change that right? You’re a Prince, and you can’t ever stop being one… right?”

Noctis blinked in surprise.

“Yeah, yeah exactly like that,” he said, cracking a tiny smile again.

“That sucks man,” Prompto concluded. Noct’s small smile broke into a startled laugh.

“Don’t I know it dude, but anyway,” he said, stiffly pushing himself back up to his feet, Prompto craning his neck to at least try and maintain eye contact, “it’s best to try not to think about it, otherwise I might never sleep again.”

“Well, if this morning was anything to go off of I’m pretty sure that’s impossible.”

“Hey!”

Prompto cocked an eyebrow up at him.

“Ok,” Noct huffed, “ok that’s fair actually.”

“All these near misses are gonna make me go grey before I even turn twenty.”

Noctis rolled his eyes, smiling as he pulled his arms up over his head in a long stretch. “You’re not gonna go grey.”

“You might not have a heart attack when one of your friends walks in the room but my five-inch-tall-ass does.”

Noctis barked a loud laugh at that, still snickering as he pulled out of his stretch before breaking off in a grimace. 

“Ugh, I need a shower, I reek,” he grumbled.

“Can confirm.”

A sly smirk curled the corners of the Prince’s lips. “And you could probably use a bath too, can’t be carrying around a stinky Borrower now, can I?”

Prompto felt his face instantly flush all the way to his hairline.

“N-no, I can do that myself thanks.”

“Well duh,” Noctis huffed, rolling his eyes and apparently content to ignore the soft blush painting his own cheeks, “I’m not saying you shower  _ with _ me, I’ll fill the bathroom sink with warm water and you can wash yourself.”

“I-” Prompto started, then really thought on the offer, realising with a surge of embarrassment just how many days it had been since he had tended to anything close to basic hygiene. Usually, he got clean water from a leaky pipe near his home in Noct’s wall, just a tiny drip from the corner piece of the thick metal, barely a couple of drops a day, but then, that was all a borrower really needed. But it wasn’t like he had had access to it in the days leading up to this whole adventure, and taking a bath hadn’t exactly been a priority either.

Now that he thought about it, he was fairly certain he could feel just how nasty he was like a film against his skin, over a weeks worth of the dust and dirt and grime he had been crawling around in.

“Um, yeah, actually that- that’d be really great, but can you, uh, y’know-”

“Not look,” Noctis said, sounding decidedly amused. Prompto felt his cheeks flush hot.

“Yeah.”

“I promise I’m not gonna look at you while you’re in the bath,” Noct said, the tiny curl to his lips making him narrow his eyes and sure enough he didn’t have to wait long before he added, “not like I wanna see your tiny ass anyway.”

“Dude!”

“Alright alright I’m sorry,” he said around his laughter, offering him a hand. Prompto pouted for a moment longer, before rolling his eyes and climbing aboard. 

“Let’s get your stinky Borrower butt in a bath.”

“You wanna wake up to a pin in your back every morning I’m stuck here?”

“Aww don’t be like that,” Noct teased, striding towards the bathroom at a pace that didn’t rock his perch too much, “I mean, at this point you’re my guest really.”

“Technically, I guess I’ve sort of been your guest for a couple of years now.”

“Woah, is that really how long you’ve been living in my apartment?” He said, lowering his hand to the bathroom bench and waiting for him to scramble off before moving to fiddle with the giant, ornate sink. Prompto took the chance to glance about, eyeing the neat, sparkling rows of soap and lotion dispensers, the enormous, gold-bracketed mirror above the dark marble lines of the vanity, and the gleaming brass faucets and taps. Every inch was startlingly beautiful, far more intricate than anything he had ever seen. Even Noct’s entire fancy apartment paled in comparison to this one room alone.

“I guess so,” Prompto said with a shrug, “round about, I kind of just loosely judge years based on when stuff like your birthday and New Years comes around.”

“You weren’t like… watching me sleep were you?”

Prompto turned to stare up at him for a long time, but Noct seemed unable to hold his gaze, a soft blush painting his neck.

“As fascinating as that sounds,” Prompto said slowly, “no.”

“Oh he does sarcasm now too.”

Prompto smirked.

“I dabble,” he said innocently. Noctis rolled his eyes and returned his focus to the task at hand.

“I never really thought you guys wouldn’t have calendars or anything,” Noctis mused, fiddling with the taps, running the water over his fingers until gentle wisps of steam began to curl into the air before plugging the bottom of the sink. Prompto tilted his head as he then began to slide the soap and lotion holders around, lining them up from the rim of the sink outwards, forming something like a wall.

“What are you doing?”

“Making a privacy screen I guess,” Noctis mumbled, “uh, but I still gotta work out a way for you to be able to climb in and out…”

“Oh, well thanks,” Prompto said genuinely, “and could you just hang a towel over the edge? I can climb that.”

“That’ll work,” Noctis agreed, snatching a hand towel from a nearby rack to do just that. Prompto heard the splash of water as it dipped into the pool below, a small pang of guilt hitting him that it was being sullied for him, but Noct didn’t seem bothered, pinning the end with a spare lotion bottle so his meagre weight wouldn’t pull the rest in.

“You could probably use this to dry off too,” Noctis said, looking decidedly pleased with himself.

Prompto scampered closer, peering over the lip of the sink to see the frothy, steamy bath the human had prepared for him. At some point Noct must have added soap of some kind because the surface of the water was buried beneath a thick blanket of glistening bubbles and the sweet smell of lavender.

“You think it’ll do?” Noctis said, the question almost shy, “I know it’s pretty slapped together, but it’ll work right?”

“Dude,” Prompto said slowly, “this is gonna be the fanciest wash I have ever had in my entire life, and probably the first actual bath I’ve had in a couple of years, I’m gonna enjoy the fuck out of this.”

“Oh, I-”

Prompto glanced curiously up at Noct’s face, something twinging in his chest at that look of tense sadness in his eyes again.

“I’m glad,” Noctis said quickly, schooling his expression once more, “that I could help I mean, not that you- um, I’m just gonna leave you to it now.”

Prompto couldn’t help a snicker at how quickly Noct went from confident to stuttering and unsure of himself around him. It was equal parts amusing and humbling to think that his tiny self could have that effect.

“Thanks Noct,” he said, “I really mean it.”

“It’s cool,” Noctis said, sounding decidedly bored. Prompto might have believed it if it weren’t for the bright pink blush he could see burning up the back of the human’s neck, at least until he moved to yank his dark shirt over his head and Prompto abruptly snapped back around, darting behind the wall of lotion bottles as a blush of his own heated his own cheeks. He busied himself with divesting himself of his own clothes, grimacing when the fabric all but peeled from his skin. He wished he had something clean to change into, but with all his spare clothes left behind at the apartment, he would just have to make do with getting back into his dirty stuff. 

He hesitated a moment after shucking off his undershirt, the thunderous sound of the giant shower turning on making him slump in relief, not really wanting to chance having his privacy breached, or accidentally invading Noct’s. Far more content now with his friend fully occupied and hidden behind the frosted glass walls of the giant shower, he dumped his things at the base of the bottle nearest to the basin rim and finally padded over to the rim of the sink. 

The towel actually worked well as a ladder, even if he felt a bit like an especially grimey gremlin shimmying down it to the water’s surface. The flicker of guilt he felt even touching something so nice and clean melted away instantly however the second he dipped his foot testingly in the water.

“Oh my gods,” he all but moaned beneath his breath, sinking fully into the water as though his bones had just upped and left him. The water was like a balm to every ache, pain and itch in his tiny, strained body, heat burrowing deep into his muscles, all but forcing them soft while the wisps of lavender-heavy steam filled his lungs. He was powerless to stop it all from making him slump down as far beneath the surface as he could, only stopping when the water licked at his chin.

He could practically feel the dirt and grime fleeing his skin, almost as a physical weight lifting from him. He let himself lay still for a few precious, wonderful minutes, simply basking in the feeling of being clean and warm and safe, letting the excessive luxury of it all sweep him away. 

“You doing ok over there?” Noct’s voice made him jump so hard the resulting splash of the water washed clean over his face, just in time for him to inhale some. He struggled up to be sitting, coughing harshly, the soapy water burning his nose. 

“I’m fine,” he choked out, sneezing barely a moment later before clearing his throat and trying again, shouting to be heard over the shower spray, “I’m good, was just super relaxed dude.”

“Huh, well that’s good to hear,” Noctis called back, “bet you didn’t expect you’d be having a bath alongside a human one day.”

Prompto might have flushed at that if he wasn’t huffing at the truth of it.

“Can’t say I was,” he agreed, “although, if the baths and food are half as good as they’ve been so far I might just have to move in permanently.”

He meant it as a joke, truly he did, yet he felt his chest lurch the second the words left his lips. He… honestly hadn’t really thought about what he would do if and when they got back to the apartment. Basic Borrower protocol said he should still leave as quickly as possible and yet, the more he dwelled on it, the more he realised he really didn’t want to. And maybe… maybe it wasn’t even necessary.

“I honestly wouldn’t mind that,” Noctis said, the softness of it only just reaching him over the drone of the shower, “I mean, you were already living there before and it was fine, I don’t want to kick you out or anything.”

“It’s not really you I’m so worried about anymore to be honest,” Prompto replied, not expecting Noct to hear it.

“Still nervous about Ignis and Gladio huh?”

Prompto flinched, occupying his nervous hands with scrubbing his skin and making an attempt to clean the worst of his hair. 

“Can you blame me? It’s bad enough having one human knowing about me.”

“I’m telling you though, Iggy and Gladio wouldn’t hurt you if you did show yourself to them, you honestly don’t have to be afraid of them, I mean, you and I get along now right? What makes you think you couldn’t be friends with those two?”

“It’s different,” Prompto mumbled, sliding further into the bubbles, “they’re not… you showed me that I could trust you, you proved it, at least enough for me to come here with you, but what do you think I have to go off with those two? One half crushed me and the other trapped me under a bowl.”

“But he also let you go,” Noct pointed out.

_ And I thanked him by yelling at him for trying to offer me food _ . Gods Ignis must have hated him for that, he couldn’t not be angry, right? The sheer audacity of his tiny self snapping at a giant human that could and likely would have crushed him had he been in reach made him want to slap his past self and scream at him for just what the hell he had been thinking.

“One human knowing about me is already too much,” Prompto said again, shaking that train of thought away, it was no use dwelling on what had already passed, “it’d just be even more dangerous for me if more found out, it’s better off that they think I’m long gone.”

Noctis sighed softly under the thunder of the shower spray.

“I know you’re nervous, and I won’t force you to do anything you don’t want to, but please just think about it a bit more? I think you’d really like them if you got to know them.”

“Right,” Prompto said, “I’ll uh, do that…”

Noct didn’t answer again and Prompto refocused on scrubbing off a weeks worth of sweat and grime, raking his fingers over his scalp until it began to sting and his hair finally held some of its downy softness again. He was pretty sure the water was slightly murkier than when he had first gotten in.

The rumble of the shower finally shut off. He tilted his head to listen as the glass door creaked open, a heavy cloud of steam billowing overhead, steaming the edges of the giant mirror. 

“You almost done in there?” Noctis said, suddenly sounding far closer than he had been expecting. 

Prompto squeaked, sloshing down further into the bubbly water until only his head was visible. He snapped his eyes up, half expecting to find Noct leaning over him, but instead he found his gaze drawn to the reflection in the mirror, the low angle only just allowing him to see him.

“I’m not even looking dude,” Noct said, sounding bored as he toweled off his hair. Prompto glanced up at the still slightly foggy mirror, relieved that he could only see the back of Noct’s head and his pale shoulders… because yeah he really didn’t want to see _anything_ _else_.

Yet what he did see was the jagged edge of another pale scar, it’s ragged ends curling over Noct’s right shoulder blade. Or was it- no, the same one he had glimpsed that morning? Prompto blinked hard, his brow furrowing, that would mean it ran almost the length of his back, and crossed right across his spine. He knew he was staring, but he couldn’t help it, his mind abuzz trying to work out what exactly could have caused such a wound. Certainly nothing he had ever seen before.

“Noct?” He called hesitantly.

“Yeah?”

Prompto bit his lip, thinking better of asking about it. He didn’t want to bring up anything uncomfortable, and a scar that large could only have come from some awful kind of accident.

“Uh, actually, it’s nothing,” he stuttered, giving his hair a final rinse before scrabbling for the end of the towel, sliding some on the smooth floor of the sink, “don’t worry about it.”

“If you’re sure,” Noctis huffed and when Prompto heaved himself up over the rim he was relieved to see that he had already pulled on a pair of dark pants, and was in the process of tugging on a loose sweater to match. The ragged edges of the scar rapidly disappeared and Prompto forced himself not to dwell on it.

He slipped back behind the privacy screen as quickly as he could, grimacing at the trail of water droplets he left in his wake and swiftly drying himself off with one heavy corner of the hand towel. That done, he turned to glower at his pile of dirty clothes, the only ones he had. He couldn’t help but pout at that, it just felt like such a waste of a truly luxurious bath, but with a sigh, he began to pull them back on, grimacing at the feeling.

The pants and jacket weren’t as bad as they could have been, they were purpose-made for the hard work of borrowing after all, all tougher materials that kept out the worst of the dust and kept him well camouflaged in the dark. The sweat though, that made things like his undershirt pretty uncomfortable. He decided to leave that off, just pulling the jacket back on alongside the rest of his borrowing tools, quietly hoping for some more water to wash the shirt, and perhaps some of the rest of his gear, later.

He said as much to Noct, stepping out from behind the wall of bottles.

“Yeah, that shouldn’t be any trouble,” he replied, canting his head his way as he draped the shirt over his arm, “hmm, maybe we could get you some doll clothes…”

Prompto tilted his head slowly to stare up at him.

“Just so you have a change of clothes!” Noctis said hurriedly, a hot flush already colouring his ears and cheeks, “you’re right, I didn’t really give you a chance to grab anything so-”

“I’d love to be in the room when you ask Ignis that.”

“Ugh, you try to do something nice,” Noct huffed. Prompto snickered.

“How would you even ask that without looking weird? Like you don’t want the doll, just the clothes-”

“I’ll do it if you agree to meet Specs.”

“No,” Prompto said, immediately tensing up.  _ Why was he suddenly so adamant about this again? _ “You promised…”

“I know,” Noctis said quickly, hands raising placatingly, “and I swear I’m not gonna go back on my word, I just really think you two would get along if you gave him another chance and, well, he really has been worried about you.”

_ Why? _ He wanted to ask it so badly, but nerves swallowed the words before they could hit his tongue and instead he just shook his head.

“One human knowing about me is already one too many,” he repeated, staring down at his hands, “but… I’ll think about it some more, alright?”

Noctis smiled warmly. 

“That’d be great bud.”

Prompto nodded faintly, staring into the shiny black of the countertop for a moment longer, before clearing his throat when the silence got just a bit too odd.

“So, uh,” Prompto said, tugging at the hem of his jacket awkwardly, “what should we do now?”

“Well,” Noctis said, a playful grin tugging his lips up, “I know something we could do.” Prompto tilted his head curiously. Well, everything else Noct had suggested so far had been pretty great, surely whatever this was would be too.

_ Right? _

  
  


~~~~~~~~~~

  
  


“This was an awful idea,” Prompto mumbled to himself, eyes squeezed closed and arms wrapped tight around his middle, “this was an  _ awful _ idea.”

“You’re fine,” Noctis whispered back, an amused lilt to his voice, not that he could see his face to make sure, “we’re almost there, now quit whining before someone hears you.”

Prompto didn’t know what the hell he had been thinking, letting Noct slip him into the inner pocket of one of his jackets and whisk him off to some place called a library. The steady sway of the human’s giant steps shuddered through his hiding spot, the fabric walls tightening and stretching lightly around him as they moved with Noct’s body. Being this close was borderline stifling. The sounds of his giant, even breaths and heartbeats rumbling down to his bones, so enormous they drowned out almost everything beyond the thick, puffy walls of the jacket, which probably had something to do with why he was so jittery. He didn’t like not knowing exactly what was around him.

But hey, at least it was warm, and not exactly uncomfortable if he was being honest. More than once he found himself zoning out, almost beginning to doze off with the rhythmic rocking, only to jerk back up a moment later. 

“Alright, we made it to the library,” Noctis murmured, making him jump and scramble to clumsily get to his feet, pawing blindly for the top of the pocket, “just hold on while I find someplace a bit more out of sight.”

Prompto tried not to whine at that, struggling to stay balanced on the shifting ‘floor’. It wasn’t that he exactly disliked being in there, it wasn’t all that bad really, way better than being in Noct’s school bag for sure. But the inability to see his surroundings had been gnawing at the back of his brain for the better part of the fifteen minutes or so it had taken Noctis to get them here. Every strange, distant sound outside his hiding place made him twitch with pent-up nerves, every odd smell that made it past the scents of clean laundry and lavender soap sending him spiralling into stressed musings of what they could belong to.

“Hey, would you quit wriggling so much?” Noct broke off in a stifled snort, “it tickles.”

“Sorry,” Prompto squeaked, cheeks flushing as he forced himself to slump back down into the bottom of the pocket, “I’m just kinda nervous.”

“It’s alright, just hold on a bit longer,” Noctis soothed, a gentle pressure at his side telling him he was pressing reassuringly at where he was hidden, “you can come out in just a sec, there’s no one else in here right now, I just want to be somewhere a bit more private, so we can hear if anyone else does come in.”

“Ok,” Prompto said, idly nodding along with the logic of it, before hastily adding, “thank you.”

“No sweat.”

True to his word, barely a minute later Prompto found himself being carefully extricated from the pockets warm interior, careful fingers cradling him before gently tilting so he could slide on to the surface of a polished, darkwood desk. He glanced about as soon as he found his balance, taking in the high-ceilinged room, the towering walls of bookshelves stacked high with volumes upon volumes of every size, shape and colour, countless titles gleaming in the midday sun filtering through crystal-clear windows, showing the city moving along beyond. They were lower than they had been in Noct’s room, the sweeping cityscape visible even from his low angle. It took him a moment to get his brain back online and to pick his jaw up off the floor, he had never seen so many books in his life.

“I figured you might want to start with something like this.”

Noctis’ voice made him jump, whirling around to find him striding back from one of the nearby shelves, a giant, hardcover book clutched in his hands.

“What is it?” He questioned, wandering closer as Noctis settled in one of the chairs, tracing a hand over the cool, gleaming brass of an ornate desk lamp as he passed it.

“It’s an encyclopaedia,” Noct whispered, setting the enormous book down on the desk, “I got one with plenty of pictures, I thought you might want to see some of the stuff that’s out there, beyond Insomnia.”

“An encyclo- what?” Prompto repeated, cocking his head and scrambling closer, after double checking there was no one around, to examine the dark, worn leather cover. Gleaming gold letters were stamped into it, the overly cursive font and the angle making it hard to read.

“It’s a book with lots of information about the natural world,” Noctis explained, carefully reaching around him to lift the cover, leaning his other arm on the desk.

“Then why didn’t you just say that?” Prompto mumbled, clambering up to stand on Noct’s free arm, leaning against his bicep, the added height letting him actually see the pages.

Noctis snorted, rolling his eyes as he flipped open to a section about-

“Duscae?” Prompto read slowly, glancing upwards to check if he had got it correct. Noctis nodded, turning to a page full of photos.

“It’s pronounced dus-sky,” he corrected, and Prompto couldn’t help but wince at how badly he had butchered that, “it’s an area in the middle of Lucis, lots of forests and lakes, tons of wildlife, that sort of thing-”

Prompto kind of tuned out the rest of what he was saying, too busy staring at the images in the book. Not just photos, but beautiful illustrations of creatures he had never even dreamed of before, giant arches of stone rising up from the land like serpent’s coils, and a cluster of crystalline spires gleaming a myriad of colours in the light of a setting sun. 

He slid back down from his perch, heaving himself up on to the book itself so he could kneel down and look closer.

“Are these real places?” He murmured, running his fingers down the curve of a foaming waterfall.

“Yeah dude,” Noct said softly, smoothing the page back out so he could wander on to the other half.

“You mean these places just exist out there? And you can go and see them?” Prompto said excitedly, skittering across to the glittering, crystal spires, “have you been to any of them?”

“Maybe a long time ago,” Noctis replied, “it’s… kind of too dangerous to leave the city these days, especially for the Prince.”

Prompto turned at how he practically spat the word but Noctis was looking away, eyes gone hard and a frown pulling the corners of his lips downwards. He glanced back down at the pages, and decided to try a distraction.

“What are these things?” He said, pointing at a sketch of a four-legged beast with a long, drooping neck. Noctis blinked back into himself, expression blank for a few passing moments as he considered the thing.

“Oh,” he said, realisation washing the haze of something cold and bitter away just as he had hoped, “it’s called a Catoblepas, they’re huge, so big that if I stood next to one I’d look like a borrower in comparison.”

“No way.”

“Yes way.”

“Woah,” Prompto said faintly, his head spinning, he’d never thought there could be things that much bigger than a human out there, “geez I’d feel like a speck of dirt next to something like that.”

“They’re gentle giants, for the most part,” Noctis explained, leaning his head on one hand and fingering the edge of the page with the other, “they live in lakes and eat plants and stuff.”

“Huh, well that’s a relief I guess,” Prompto mumbled, skittering back to hop off the edge of the book when he was satisfied that he had seen all of the pictures, smiling when Noct read exactly what he wanted and turned to the next page.

They continued like that for a time, Prompto quickly finding himself working up a light sweat yet hardly caring as he jumped between every new image with every page turn, far too fascinated with everything he saw to take much notice of the ache rebuilding itself in his muscles. Noctis seemed more than happy to accommodate him, patiently waiting for him to check out every picture, reading out the more complex passages when he struggled with the words and explaining the ones he didn’t understand.

If he was being honest, Prompto could scarcely believe that half of the things in the encyclopedia were real, yet there they were in perfectly printed photographs. Beautiful landscapes and fearsome beasts he never could have imagined before now. Deep in the pit of his chest, he felt a flickering ache take hold, a long accepted sadness he knew all too well: that he was never going to have the chance to see any of this in person. Even if he somehow managed to get out of the city someday, with stuff even half as dangerous as the things in this single book out there, a tiny borrower probably wouldn’t even last a day.

As though to reinforce those grim thoughts, the next page Noctis turned to held a beast that looked about ten times worse than the human-sized centipedes a couple of pages earlier (the memory of those still made him shudder). ‘Behemoths’, the top of the page read simply.

“Ok, see,  _ this _ -” he furiously tapped the snarling beast’s image, content to return to pleasant conversation and friendly joking, “-is what a cat looks like to me, you get it now?”

“No way,” Noct huffed, fighting back an amused grin, clearly not noticing his short, melancholic episode, “they’re nothing alike, if you’re ever unlucky enough to see a behemoth you’ll realise instantly how wrong you are.”

Prompto couldn’t stop from grinning, opening his mouth to shoot something witty back and hopefully draw another laugh out of the bean, but the words stuck to his tongue.

He froze up, snapping his head around to listen and flattening his hands against their current page in the book. Barely a moment later he wheeled around and shot back towards Noct’s chest, scrambling to find and crawl back inside his pocket.

“Hey, hey Prom? What’s wro-”

“Highness?” Ignis’ unmistakable voice called, “is that you?”

“Shit,” Noctis hissed, hurriedly scooping him up and cradling him under the cover of his jacket, close to his pocket, and Prompto wasted no time climbing into it.

“Noctis?”

“What?” Noctis said, that familiar disinterested air firmly back in place. The world tilted around him slightly as Noct leaned against the desk, further shielding him from view.

“I… did not expect to see you here,” Ignis admitted. Prompto couldn’t see him but he could practically hear the disbelief in his voice.

“What I can’t visit my own library?” Noctis huffed dismissively. He had a feeling that wouldn’t dissuade Ignis at all.

Ignis hummed quietly, thoughtfully.

“Who were you talking to just now?”

No, nope it absolutely hadn’t.

“Myself,” Noctis mumbled, “helps me remember things sometimes.”

“Ah,” said Ignis, “of course.”

He didn’t really sound convinced, but Prompto listened as he continued.

“Are you working on your school studies?”

“Uh, yeah,” Noctis said, disgruntled, “my bio tutor said something interesting about the Duscae region in class, figured I might as well check it out a bit more.”

“You? Willingly studying?” Ignis said in disbelief.

“Not like I’ve got much else to do around here.”

He heard Ignis sigh. “It’s not that bad here Noctis-” a notable pause, almost hesitant, “-I have heard the Crownsguard were successful in disabling the explosive and removing it from your apartment.”

“Really?” Noctis said, suddenly far more eager, and Prompto felt himself jerk up in tandem, straining to catch every word. He could feel Noct’s heart thumping in his giant chest, slightly fast but steady.

“Yes,” Ignis replied, and he could almost see him nodding, “the investigation team is now working to dust for prints and any other evidence that could lead us to the culprits.”

“How long is that going to take?” Noctis demanded. Prompto tried not to flinch.

“I don’t know,” Ignis said honestly, “I’m afraid that is the extent of the details I’ve been told so far.”

Noctis didn’t reply with words, but he could practically feel the discontent rolling off of him in waves. He tried not to shift uncomfortably.

“But Highness,” Ignis said, words careful and measured now, “you should be aware that, even if the culprits are found and taken into custody, you may not be allowed to return to the apartment-”

Prompto jerked, and he was almost certain Noctis must have felt it because he tensed in response.

“-if there’s evidence that this was not a lone act by one or two extremists, and is instead involved in some kind of conspiracy, you may well be kept here for some time-”

“No,” Noctis hissed, cutting him off, “I can’t stay here for that long.”

“This is beyond my control Noct.” Ignis sounded weary.

“Can’t we just up my guard or something? The bomb didn’t go off and it’s gone now, so what’s the big deal?”

“The big deal,” Ignis repeated in clear disbelief, “is that someone attempted to assassinate you, Highness, and those people are still out there, clearly they know where you live and have the tools to get in and out without alerting the current guard. If that does not concern you, then it should.”

“Then increase the Crownsguard stationed there, fill the damn place, station them outside my fucking door for all I care, just let me go back to my apartment!”

Ignis next breath was sharper, tense and almost dangerous. “I know you’re upset, Highness, but it’s for your own safety, and until word comes from his Majesty,  _ none of us _ are to leave.”

Prompto flinched, the meaning far from lost on him. Behind his tense words, he could hear the frustration leaking through. Frustration that Noctis wasn’t the only one stuck here right now, so was Ignis, and likely Gladio too he realised. He almost felt sorry for them. Didn’t they have families and homes they wanted to return to?

“So what?” Noctis said, almost nastily, “I’m just trapped here am I? And what about my schoolwork? I left pretty much everything at my apartment.”

“Crownsguard have already been instructed to retrieve such essentials for you and bring them here, once they’ve been examined for any potential evidence.”

“Oh that’s just great!” Noctis said around a bitter laugh that had Prompto curling even tighter in the pocket, “sure, why not? Let’s just let random people snoop around my home and go through my stuff!”

“They will only be collecting things like your school materials and changes of clothes, Highness,” Ignis said, and Prompto was startled to hear the confusion and…  _ hurt _ , in his voice, “please calm down, the choice to keep you at the Citadel for the time being came directly from his Majesty, there is nothing to be done Noctis.”

Noctis snarled something under his breath, the force of his fury rumbling into his bones.

“Fine,” he hissed, “then I’ll take it up with him.”

“Highness, I would not recommend-” 

“I’m not asking for your advice, Ignis,” Noctis snapped. 

The silence that followed felt as though it were pressing against every inch of his tiny body, Noct’s giant heart drumming a fast, agitated beat deep into the cage of his ribs. Or was that his own heart hammering away in his ears? He couldn’t tell anymore, couldn’t differentiate where his body ended and Noct’s even began. Dimly, he realised he hadn’t breathed in a while. He choked back the gasp his lungs begged him for only narrowly, forcing himself to suck in slow, quiet breaths, hot shame crawling up the back of his neck as he finally took notice of his shoulders trembling.

There was nothing to fear from Noct.  _ There was nothing to fear from Noct _ .

Even if, when he broke it down, he was stuck in a claustrophobic pocket between two furious humans, the sheer weight of the tension between them just about suffocating him. 

No. Wait.  _ He seriously couldn’t breathe. _

Ignis was saying something but he couldn’t make it out. It was definitely his own heart thundering in his skull, filling his throat and cutting off his air. He was panicking, he could feel it coming, rising in his chest cavity like a fast incoming tide. He wanted this to end, gods he needed it to end. It was too much,  _ too much _ . 

He choked on a whimper, wriggling against the constricting walls of the fabric, blindly grasping for the top of the pocket. Air, he needed air, he needed-

Noctis tensed at his back, stuttering slightly over his angered words. Prompto couldn’t help it, he pushed with all his limbs and arched his back and pressed himself against the firm wall of the human’s chest.

“Alright, fine, I won’t bother my dad so just drop it.”

“Wh- Highness?” Ignis almost never stumbled over his words, he really had to be shocked, not that he couldn’t hear it in his voice alone, “are you alright Noct-”

“For the last damn time I’m fine!” Noctis snapped, stopping himself sharply when he must have felt his tiny form tense up all over again, “just... just drop it ok? Now, leave me.”

“Highness-”

“I said leave me, Ignis.”

There was another tense pause, then Ignis answered, that pure, professional air back to his voice, yet he could hear something quiet and strained just beneath the surface.

“Your Highness,” he said, and he could almost see him bowing lightly, before his sharp footsteps faded into the depths of the library aisles. 

Prompto sucked in a low, deep breath, willing the shudders to stop wracking his shoulders, his head filled with the anxious pounding of the giant heart behind him. Noctis was good at hiding it, when he wasn’t this close to him, that mask of disinterest and feigned apathy so seamless he might have thought him truly emotionless. Hell, once upon a time he kind of had. Yet all of that was stripped bare when he was held this close, every breath, every heartbeat, every twitch and tension of muscle giving away everything the human was truly feeling.

And right now, he was scared.

“Prompto?” Noctis whispered, “are you alright? He’s gone now, you don’t have to worry anymore.”

Prompto blinked, jolting when he felt the soft brush of a gentle touch from outside, quickly relaxing when he realised it was just Noct attempting to physically comfort him. 

“I-I’m ok,” Prompto stuttered, giving a dry swallow before trying to speak again, “can I come out? It’s just- it’s kinda overwhelming, being this close.”

He released his held breath in relief when Noct gave a hasty affirmative, tilting his head up to catch the surreal sight of giant fingertips slowly slipping in to join him a moment later.

“I’m sorry you had to listen to all of that,” Noctis said as he carefully scooped him out of his pocket once again, voice back to its gentle, lazy lilt. Prompto slumped to sit cross-legged in his palm, glancing up into his giant eyes but unable to hold them for long. What did he even say after all of that? He didn’t really know that much about the friendship or history between the two humans, especially since he was now trying to take into account the whole Prince thing, so he steered away from it. Yet the entire, horrid exchange nibbled at the back of his mind like a rat on a wire.

“So, looks like I’m- we’re, here for an extended stay then?”

Noctis sighed harshly, breath lightly ruffling his now impossibly fluffy hair. “Yeah, yeah it does, I’m so sorry, and I’m sorry that I couldn’t ask them to get your stuff or anything, obviously, but I promise I’ll do everything I can to make sure you’re comfortable and safe while you’re here and-”

“Noct. Noct!” Prompto cried, waving his hands before him, “it’s alright, really! I heard everything, it’s not your fault.”

He looked away from the human’s startled gaze, scratching at his chin bashfully. “I can’t blame you for something that wasn’t your fault, you didn’t know we’d both get stuck here for so long, I just hope...”

“Hope what?” Noctis probed, his great dark head tilting.

“That you- that you don’t get sick of me,” Prompto admitted faintly, “you spend so much time and effort running around after me, getting me food and water and baths, won’t you get tired of it all eventually?”

“What?! No way,” Noct replied instantly, making him startle and glance shyly up to meet his eyes again, alight with that by now familiar sincerity of his, “Prom, you’re not a burden to me, none of that stuff is hard or even really a hassle, and even if it was you really think I’m gonna pin our friendship on that?”

“We’re friends?” Prompto squeaked.

Noctis stilled, eyes wide and vulnerable as his shoulders shifted just a little more inwards.

“Well, I mean,” he stuttered, practically falling over the words, unable to meet his gaze, “I kind of thought we were starting to be, I’ve um, never really had many friends, outside of Ignis and Gladio, even though they’re kind of sworn to me, do you- do you usually have to wait longer before you call someone a friend?”

Prompto had never seen a human (hell,  _ anyone _ ) look so unsure in his life, but he didn’t have to think hard to know his answer.

“Dude, I’ve only ever lived with my parents, I’m just as shitty at this as you are.”

That startled a laugh out of the Prince, but his shoulders were still slumped in that nervous set, and Prompto kind of wanted it gone.

“I don’t think friendships have hard rules like that, someone just has to make you happy and want to share their time with you and stuff… I think.”

Noctis worried his lip, and against Prompto’s will, his shoulders caved even further, the hand holding him dipping lightly to follow them.

“Well, I know you didn’t want to come with me, and that you want to get back to your home, but for what it’s worth, I’ve really enjoyed having you here, you’re pretty cool, for a Borrower.”

Prompto blinked up at him and just like that everything snapped into place. 

‘Oh,’ he thought.  _ Oh _ .

This giant, terrible, wonderful human bean (or being) was just as scared to reach out as he had been, back on that kitchen bench, when a bomb had been ticking away in the very same room.

The revelation made him burst into a wide grin, that butterfly fluttering exploding alive in his chest again and this time he didn’t even try to stamp it down.

“I think you’re pretty cool too, for a human.”

Noctis’ eyes danced back up to meet his, deep blue and hopeful.

“I don’t know how to do this sort of thing,” Prompto mumbled, glancing away in embarrassment and pulling his knees to his chest so he could wrap his arms around them, “I don’t even know if anything like this has ever happened before, a Borrower and a human being friends, I don’t know if it’s even possible.”

“Why wouldn’t it be?” Noctis replied, tilting his head as a persistent, all-encompassing grin overcame his face, “I mean, I think we’ve been doing pretty good so far, I haven’t dropped you yet anyway.”

“Oh yeah, I’ve only almost been caught by other beans three seperate times now.”

“And who saved you all those times?”

“You almost slept through one of them!”

“But did you get caught?”

Prompto rolled his eyes but couldn’t fight the matching grin that tugged his lips up.

“Besides,” Noct continued, his smile dimming slightly, “Ignis was too busy giving me all that shitty news, he didn’t even notice you hiding in there, even when you started moving a little.”

He grimaced a little at the memory of the two bean’s tense conversation, a guilty flame beginning to flicker away in his gut. He wanted to remain safe, but there was something he couldn’t help but notice-

“Noct I-”

“Hm? Hey what’s wrong? I didn’t hurt you when I grabbed you did I?”

‘ _ I’m making you push everyone you care about away _ .’

Prompto shook his head. “No I’m- I’m fine.”

Noctis watched him carefully for a few more moments, before slowly nodding.

“I think that’s probably enough excitement for one day huh? Why don’t we head back to my room and watch some movies? I can bring these with us for you to look at again later if you want?”

“Sounds good to me,” Prompto agreed, quietly relieved and all too happy to let that worrying realisation go for now, “I don’t know how much more my heart can take in one day.”

“Yeah, me too,” Noctis huffed, the corners of his lips still set in a somewhat somber line.

Bundled up in his jacket pocket once again, Prompto found himself relaxing more into the rhythm of Noct’s steps this time, focusing more intently on the steady heartbeat thrumming along beside him. It was almost calming, in a sense. The ache in his body had dulled to the heavy pull of fatigue, tugging his eyelids persistently downwards and, even in the short time it took them to leave the library, he found himself jerking himself from a half-doze multiple times.

“Hey Prom?” Noctis murmured. Prompto blinked, jolting slightly and glancing upwards, then almost slapped himself when he remembered there was no way he could see his face.

“Yeah,” he called back quietly, trusting Noct was only speaking to him because there was no one else around.

“How did you hear him before me?”

“I didn’t,” Prompto mumbled, “I felt him.”

“Felt? Whoa do you have like, some kind of spider sense or something?”

“A what now? No, dude, I felt the vibrations, you humans make a lot of them.”

“Felt the vibrations?” Noct repeated slowly, “wait, you mean from his footsteps?”

Prompto shrugged, despite knowing Noct couldn’t see it right now. “Well yeah mostly, if I’m closer I can feel and hear more stuff, though until now I never really  _ had _ a reason to be close to a human.”

“Cool,” he breathed, Prompto felt his cheeks flush at that, he didn’t really think it was anything special but it was nonetheless kind of nice to hear, “but wait, then how much can you feel, uh, this close to me?”

Prompto smirked in the dim light, readjusting himself so his back was more in line with the curve of the seam when the rhythm of Noct’s stride changed slightly. 

“Your steps, obviously, your breaths coming and going, your heartbeat, which yeah, I just felt  _ and _ heard that spike, your stomach’s also been pretty noisy for a while now, you should probably eat something soon, speaking of, hey can we eat again soon?”

“Geez talk about a lack of privacy,” Prompto felt a light prod from outside, “you’re getting to be a bossy little thing aren’t you?”

“I saved your life, where’s the gratitude here?”

Noctis snorted.

“Alright alright, anything in particular you want or-”

Noctis stilled, then tensed up, stuttering to a halt so fast it made him bump lightly against his chest.

“Noct?” He hissed nervously, “what’s-”

“Be quiet,” Noctis grit out.

Prompto almost flinched at how harshly it was whispered, already beginning to spiral into anxious thoughts of how he had overstepped his boundaries, had grown too bold with his last words, even if he had only meant it as a joke. An apology was already pooling on his tongue when another voice made him swallow it down again.

“Noctis,” an older, almost  _ regal _ sounding man greeted, “I didn’t expect to run into you here, son.”

_ Son _ .

Prompto went stone still.  _ Noct’s dad _ .

“Uh, yeah,” Noctis said, that veil of disinterest back thick and heavy in his voice, “just visiting the library.”

Prompto blinked, brow furrowing in confusion. Was that really how bean’s talked to their parents? No, he remembered there had sometimes been children in the house he had lived in with his parents, and they hadn’t been nearly as stuffy as this.

“Ah, keeping up with your studies then?” Noct’s dad said, “and how have they been going?”

“Fine, I guess,” Noctis mumbled, muscles still held tight at his back, “least until I get all the work I’ll need to catch up on.”

Prompto couldn’t help but wince at the passive aggression, silently hoping he wasn’t about to be stuck quite literally in the middle of another argument.

“Ah, yes,” Noct’s dad said, “I understand it may take a few days for the school to make and send through the content for the classes you’ll be missing.”

“Uh, yeah, really looking forward to having to play catch up on all that,” Noctis mumbled.

“An unfortunate necessity,” he agreed, “yet a necessity nonetheless, I trust that Ignis has updated you on the situation with those that... made the attempt on your life.”

“Yes,” Noctis said flatly, “and that I’m stuck here again.”

Prompto heard the older man sigh, blinking at the tiredness in that breath alone.

“I know, Noctis, that this is not what you wanted, but your safety is my main concern-”

“As the Prince-”

“-as your father, I will keep you safe son, even if it need put me at odds with you.”

Prompto felt his stomach twist, the flickers of memories he had avoided for years forcing themselves to the front of his thoughts, like flashes of white after staring at the sun too long.

Noctis was silent for a handful of moments that dragged on far too long, yet his thundering heartbeat gave away his stress. When he spoke again, his voice betrayed none of it, flat and lifeless, the mask firmly back in place.

“May I go, your Majesty?”

There was a noticeable pause. Noctis’ heart rate spiked.

“You may, my son,” the older human replied and Prompto felt a wave of something almost like sadness at the resignation in his voice. 

The pocket shifted, dipping slightly as Noctis gave a short bow, before he was turning and hurriedly striding off again, the steady rocking of his steps far less comfortable now. The anxious pounding of that giant heart steadily slowed once again, leveling to that regular, even tempo and finally giving his poor ears something they could comfortably deal with. For a long while, there was nothing but those heavy beats and the thunder and sway of Noct’s footsteps, and Prompto didn’t dare move or call out in case there were any other beans nearby. With great difficulty, he forced himself to lie still, trying to focus on keeping his own breaths evenly paced, falling so deeply into it that he just about jumped out of his skin when Noctis finally spoke again.

“Sorry… again,” he mumbled, sounding just as resigned as his father had, “I didn’t expect him to be there, usually he barely leaves his council meetings all day, or his office.”

“It’s ok,” Prompto replied, happily stretching first his legs up the seam of the pocket, then his arms, unable to do both at the same time, “still didn’t get caught, so it’s fine.”

It hadn’t even been his main concern honestly, still caught up on how tense the conversation he had overheard had been, stilted and awkward in a way he had never before thought possible between a parent and their child. Or at least, not in Borrower families… not that he knew that many.

“I’m still sorry you had to sit through it dude,” Noctis said, trailing off into a sigh, “feels like I just keep getting you stuck in the middle of things.”

“Well, you did say you were kind of important,” Prompto reasoned, “but, I guess, maybe it’d be best if I just stayed in your room while I’m here, not like I could run or hide if someone else found me out here.”

He shuddered at the thought, scenarios where Ignis had approached just a little bit quicker, a little bit quieter, there would have been nowhere on the library bench for him to hide in time, and no chance of escape that high up.

“I won’t let anyone take you,” Noctis said fiercely, ending that train of thought before it could turn too dark. Right, Noct had still been there, but Ignis was larger and older than him, he wasn’t really sure Noct  _ could  _ hold Ignis off if he really set his mind to getting his hands on him again. But then, he couldn’t get the way Ignis had so quickly submitted to Noct’s (rather bratty, if he was honest with himself) outburst out of his head. Maybe there really was something to this whole ‘Prince’ thing after all.

“Well,” Prompto said finally, smiling even though he knew Noctis wouldn’t see it, trusting he would hear it in his voice, “like I said, I haven’t been caught yet.”

It must have worked, because he both felt and heard the huff of relieved laughter that shook through Noct’s giant chest.

“I guess not,” Noctis agreed, “suppose I’m kinda doing my job alright then, huh?”

“I don’t know about that,” Prompto replied playfully, “I’d say you’re just passing bud.”

“Oh no,” Noctis said flatly, amusement simmering beneath it, “how can I ever make it up to you?”

“Something to eat and drink would be an awesome start!”

Noctis snorted. Prompto hoped he was smiling.

“How can a guy so small already be so hungry again?”

“Well if I’m gonna be stuck here I’m damn well gonna make the most of it, and besides, it’d be getting towards dinner time for you now anyway, right?”

“Huh, yeah I guess we were in there longer than I thought,” Noct said, surprised, “didn’t realise that much time had passed.”

“It was nice, least until we got interrupted,” Prompto said, reclining more comfortably into the seam of the pocket, “thanks, Noct, I don’t think I’ve had that much fun in ages.”

“It was nothing,” Noct replied but nonetheless sounded pleased.

Prompto yawned widely, content and honestly rather cozy in this warm little hammock, enough to make him all but forget the dull ache that still had yet to leave his muscles and the lingering tightness in his throat. He coughed into his fist, trying to loosen it. It sort of helped.

“You can have a nap in there if you want,” Noctis said after a long moment of silence, “it’ll take a while to order the food and wait for it to come anyway.”

“Dude, no way!” Prompto said, wriggling pointedly, “you’ll choose something boring.”

“We had stuff you’ve wanted the last two days,” Noctis replied, laughing softly, “isn’t it my turn yet?”

Prompto huffed, rolling his eyes despite knowing it wouldn’t be seen.

“Alright alright, it is your turn, I guess that’s fair,” he said around a snicker, before finally sobering. The tail-end of all his anxious energy was still gnawing at the back of his brain. He worried his lip, hesitating a moment, before finally speaking up again.

“Noct? Are you ok though? You sounded really stressed before…”

Noctis sighed heavily.

“I’m fine dude, should have guessed you’d have known how much I didn’t want either of those talks though, with your super senses and all.”

“It’s not super senses,” he mumbled, pausing again as he wondered whether he should pry deeper. Yet when the memory of how he had reacted to Ignis’s probing reared its ugly he quickly shied away. It was hardly his business anyway, and he definitely didn’t want anything like that earlier anger directed on himself.

So instead, he turned his focus to a very different concern.

“Hey Noct, one more thing I can feel though,” he said, idly tapping his fingers against his arm just to busy his hands, “the pace of your footsteps has changed since this morning, like you’re almost limping now, are you... hurt?”

“Oh,” Noctis said, the pace of his steps noticeably changing again, trying to force itself back to an even rhythm, “yeah it’s- I’m fine, it’s just an injury from when I was a kid, still flares up every now and then.”

“Oh, um, is it-” Prompto hesitated, “-is it to do with that big scar on your back?”

The deep, suffocating silence that followed made him instantly regret asking. “I-I’m sorry,” he said quickly, stumbling over the words in his haste to shove them right back down his throat, “I didn’t- I shouldn’t have asked that, it was rude.”

“No it’s- it’s fine, it’s not like I really tried to hide it or anything,” Noctis said, but there was something tight lurking in the trailing notes of his voice, something pained and harsh, “yeah, it’s to do with that, it’s, uh, from a… car crash, when I was a kid.”

“Oh shit dude, I’m so sorry.”

He could tell it wasn’t the whole truth, that there was something else there Noct wasn’t quite telling him, but it was far from his place to probe any deeper.

“I’m fine now, really, at least for the most part,” Noctis said around a sigh, “it was a lot worse when I was younger, it just makes my back hurt sometimes and makes the joints in my leg ache, especially now the weather’s getting colder.”

“That’s awful,” Prompto murmured.

“It’s better than it was,” Noctis replied, brushing it off. Prompto jumped at the sound of distant voices, instinctively curling into himself, trying to make himself smaller, less noticeable, even though logically he knew he was completely hidden.

“I’m not gonna be able to talk to you for a bit Prom,” Noctis mumbled in irritation, “we’ll be back in my room soon though, you good til then?”

“I’m fine, thanks.”

There was the encompassing sound of the fabric around him rustling and he assumed Noct had nodded. His brow furrowed in worry, Nocis was still out of sorts, not quite moody, but high-strung. Unbeknownst to the human in question, he quietly began plotting ways he might make it disappear entirely, lost in thought to the comforting tune of a steady heartbeat and roaring gust of giant, even breaths.

  
  


~~~~~~~~~~

  
  


When the deep blue of night rolls in, Noct makes good on his promise to sit at the window as long as he likes, hovering above the endless swathe of glimmering city lights stretching to the edge of the cities border. It may as well have been the end of the world to him.

Noctis lets him sit on his bent knee and time slips away like sand through his fingers as they stared up at the stars, locked away behind a crystal bowl of pale blue, the city awash with the golden light of a million people, the sky the softest violet where they bled into one another. 

Noct murmurs stories of beasts beyond the wall so enormous they make humans look like borrowers, and daemons that snarl and claw in the dark and shriek and shy away in the light. Of a crater where a god caught a falling star and a journey amongst friends with days spent piled in a car and nights spent under the wide open sky, a calmness in his eyes and a soft smile on his lips.

Prompto doesn’t have amazing stories to tell, borrowers didn’t live fantastical lives, or fight beasts any greater than the occasional rat. 

So, he told him what it was like to fly. How sweet it was to chase the sensation of towering over the world, even if eventually you always had to come back down. He whispered long-memorized stories of borrowers that had mastered the wilds and rode fearsome birds of prey, so quick that no human or beast could hope to catch them, and for once the ache of remembering them wasn’t so unbearable.

The sun rose again to embrace the city in its perfect crystal ball, and found them still slumped against the cushions of the window seat, Prompto curled atop Noct’s middle, a large hand draped warmly across him while his own clung tight to the soft shirt beneath him.

He should have known it was too good to last.

  
  


~~~~~~~~~~

  
  


When he woke again everything was so very wrong.

The ache in his bones had risen to fill his body, weighing his limbs like lead and making even lifting his head a chore. His brain felt as though it were stuffed with cotton, and his vision blurred whenever he opened his eyes. The tingle in his throat had turned raw and and the tang of acid hung in the back of his mouth, just out of reach whenever he painfully swallowed and always returning seconds later.

Through the murk of sickness and the last clinging tendrils of sleep, he could only just piece together that he had been moved to his designated pillow, his bandana tucked carefully around his body, and that the sun was already well past risen. He didn’t remember falling asleep, barely remembered dreams of daemons piled in a car and a giant beast that caught a falling star… or was it the other way around?

The pillow jostled lightly beneath him, the springs of the bed creaking softly and he sluggishly cracked his eyes open to find Noctis settled on the opposite side of the bed. He leaned gingerly over him, brow set in a deep, worried furrow, his mouth pulled down in a frown.

“So,” Noct said, “looks like you’re sick bud.”

Prompto made a small noise of agreement.

“Well, what do you usually do when you’re sick?” He pressed, “do you have like, tiny medicine or anything?”

Prompto grimaced. Thinking felt way too hard right now. He could barely string together the words Noct had said to make sense of what he was even saying. After mulling it over for far too long, he just went with the safest answer he could think of.

“I’m alright,” he croaked, wincing both at how rough he sounded and how the words rubbed his throat raw, “I jus’ need to sleep.”

“You at least have to eat and drink something,” Noct said, the worry never leaving his eyes, “I’ll go get you some water, and I’ll get the cooks to make some chickatrice soup, it’s good for colds.”

“‘Kay,” he mumbled, flattered by the concern but too tired and sore to properly thank him for it.

“I’ll put on something quiet,” Noctis said softly after coaxing him to take a couple of mouthfuls of the water, not that he minded, it was almost a relief. Now that he had someone to talk to again, he found the silence just as uncomfortable as Noct apparently did.

Noctis settled beside his pillow on the bed, laptop resting on his lap as he slumped against the cushions, troubled eyes flicking back to him every so often. Prompto pretended not to notice.

It didn’t take long after the mellow voice of some nature documentary presenter started for Noctis to notice the shivers racking his body. Even curled tight under the soft folds of his makeshift blanket, the feverish chill worked its way deep into his tiny frame.

Prompto grunted when he felt himself jostled, just lightly, so half-asleep it took him a couple of bleary blinks to realise Noct had carefully scooped him and his cover up, resettling him as delicately as possible on his chest. 

“Sorry,” Noctis whispered when he noticed he had woken him, “you were cold, um, is this ok?”

Prompto blinked slowly, finally taking note of the steady heat radiating up from beneath him, the colossal heartbeat thrumming a steady, grounding drum in his head, in the hollow of his chest, in every bone of his trembling body.

“Mm,” he hummed, hoping it sounded enough like an affirmation, before settling back down, drifting off in a matter of moments. 

He wasn’t sure how long he slept, but all too soon Noctis was prodding him awake again.

“Prom? Hey, dinner’s gonna be here soon, you really need to eat something bud.”

Prompto groaned and tried to roll away, that thick, heady sluggishness tugging at the back of his brain to pull him back under.

“Prom c’mon, just a little bit, please?”

“Dun’ wan’ foo’,”he slurred, not even bothering to open his eyes, he could feel sleep rising to claim him again anyway, “jus’ sleep.”

“You haven’t eaten since this morning, are you sure you don’t-”

_ He just wanted to sleep _ .

“Jus’ sleep.”

So he did.

  
  


~~~~~~~~~~

  
  


When he woke again it was quiet, and he had drooled all over himself in his sleep.

“Noc’?” He rasped, glancing around for him. 

In his sickly haze, he figured he had long since been moved from the human’s chest and, despite the sweat sticking to his skin, he found himself shivering in the absence of his warmth. 

Walls of soft black sheets rose either side of him. Pillows, he faintly realised, piled carefully around and even over him with an opening at his feet, where pale, morning sunlight barely filtered through.

Prompto let his eyes fall closed again, content to be out of sight and utterly miserable. 

Noctis must have been called off for something. He hoped he would come back soon.

He didn’t really like the quiet anymore.

  
  


~~~~~~~~~~

  
  


“Prom?”

Prompto wasn’t sure if he replied. He thought he might have, dimly, in the back of his mind. He wanted to. Noct deserved a reply. He liked talking to Noct.

“Prompto please, I need to-”

To what? It was so hard to stay awake. Surely he could tell him later. He rolled away from the booming voice, it thumped around in his skull too much.  _ Did humans really have to be so damn loud? _

“I need to get you some help Prom.”

Help for what? Prompto just groaned, trying to swat the human away with one limp hand. He knew it was pointless, in theory, but it was all he had the energy for.

“I promise he won’t hurt you-”

That didn’t sound great.

“-I’m sorry Prom, please- I don’t know what else to do.”

Something large and warm delicately prodded against his back and Prompto whined, trying to wriggle away from it but stopping instantly when it sent waves of nausea through his gut and head.

“I know I know, I’m sorry, I’m trying to be gentle.”

The warm thing pressed again to his back, and before he could comprehend what was happening another firm touch pressed to the front of his belly, carefully pushing him back so he rolled on to something slightly more comfortable and  _ far  _ more warm. He hummed quietly, pressing himself more against it to sap more of that heat radiating up into his clammy skin.

“That’s it, you’re doing great bud just- just hold on alright?”

Hold on to what? He had no idea what Noct was even talking about at this point, so he just huffed, wincing when it agitated his horribly stinging throat. Ugh, making sounds was bad. 

“Just hold on Prom, please just hold on-”

The world was swaying slightly, but in a kind of nice way. Not in that sickly, gross way. He didn’t feel like he was going to vomit at least. The warmth beneath him shifted to be a bit more around him, blanketing his back though he couldn’t actually feel anything covering him. Weird.

“It’s gonna be ok, Iggy’s gonna-”

He had no idea what Iggy was going to do, exhaustion had grabbed him behind the eyeballs and yanked him down into a dreamless sleep once more.

**Author's Note:**

> Here's some other places you can find me! I'm always eager for a chat! <3  
> Twitter: https://twitter.com/DoveFanworks  
> Tumblr: https://dovefanworks.tumblr.com/


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